Painting an old house can be problematic for several reasons. There are several things that must be considered before beginning the task. The wood is usually severely weathered which may require replacing. If the old paint is enamel based paint, it may require extensive scraping to remove the old paint. In addition, the old paint may be a lead based paint and badly damaged siding pieces may have to be replaced. The first thing before beginning to paint an old house is to determine if it has been painted with lead base paint.

How to paint an old house:

1. If the house was built prior to 1978 it may have been painted with lead base house paint. To be absolutely certain you should have the house inspected by a professional house inspector. Lead based paints are hazardous to your health and should be professionally removed before beginning any repainting.

2. If the exterior paint is free from lead paint then begin the process of painting. First, pressure wash the entire house and scrape away old chipped paint.

3. Before applying paint, allow sufficient time for the house siding to completely dry after power washing.

4. If there is loose putty around windows or damaged siding, replace the old putty and siding pieces as necessary. Insure all loose nails are properly sunk into the wood.

5. If you are planning to paint the house a different color, a primer should be first applied that is of similar color as the new paint. The primer helps to mask the previous color, makes the paint adhere better to the wood siding, and provides a more uniform finished look.

6. Before starting the actual painting, insure that the weather will be dry and sunny long enough for you to complete the painting task with sufficient time for the paint to dry. Most paints require the temperature to be at least 50 degrees for proper application and drying.

7. Painting directly in the sun should be avoided. Work your paint schedule so you are painting on the opposite side of the house from the sun.

8. Cover any surrounding shrubs and flowerbeds with drop clothes. You may want to use twine to tie up the shrubs so that they don’t rub up against the fresh house paint.

9. Paint the siding first by starting at top and working your way down the wall. Once the siding is complete paint the doors and trim.

And that is how to paint an old house.

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